Category Archives: special needs pet rescue

As we near the end of my adoption anniversary month, pet rescue is on my mind. Mama ran into some people a few days ago who were looking for a dog. They wanted a specific breed. Mama wanted a specific breed too – LHM – Loveable Hypoallergenic Mutt!

This is what this breed looks like with his full coat on.

LHM’s are frequently quite cute!

Here he is after a severe summer cut.

As you can imagine, we LHM’s have a variety of looks. With our many variations, we are probably one of the largest dog breeds in the world.

Here’s our recipe:

Take any hypoallergenic breed plus any other pure breed or LHM breed.

Add a lot of love and cuddling to your LHM’s puppyhood

Result — a “BONEY- FIDE”LHM.

I may have Mama petition the AKC to recognize our status. Who knows? We may be at the dog show next year!

(I know I can run around a carpet and earn treats as well as a Rhodesian Ridgeback!)

The folks that mom talked to last week were very precise about what breed they wanted.

And I am certain that this breed has an “L” for LOVEABLE in its genetic code. (We can’t all be pure bred LHM’s – poor hound!)

There’s nothing wrong with wanting a specific dog breed. However, I worry that people might end up getting a dog from a puppy mill or some other undesirable place because they are breed specific. Mama and I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick blog about places that you can go to RESCUEthe particular dog you want.

Unfortunately, no dog breed is immune to bad owners, irresponsible breeders and rotten circumstances. You can probably find any sort of dog you want at a rescue or even the dog jailpound shelter.

Where to start?

Anyway, here are some great websites we found where people can begin their search for Breed SpecificRESCUES!

They say all breeds, but we saw a lot of information about greyhounds and whippets and other sight hounds. This place is local for those in Southern California. When you check out this site be sure and surf around. There was a great photo of some whippets all piled together in a ….wait for it, wait for it….DOG PILE!

All about Dogs and Cats has an extremely comprehensive directory for breed rescues and good advice on how to deal with breed specific rescue organizations. I like this site. They have a blog called Paw Prints that I’ll be visiting soon! So whether you live in Texas, California, Pennsylvania or Nevada, or pretty much any state in the Union, this website has a great list for you. I was very impressed.

What does that mean? It means that Opie and I have pledged to tell at least one person about a pet that needs adopting!

We’ve decided to tell EVERYONE on the INTERNET about GUIDO!

You’ll want to adopt Guido when you hear his story. Guido is being taken care of by Lhasa Happy Home Rescue. Just a little background.

When we made the decision to adopt a dog, we looked on Petfinder.com. We knew if we went directly to a shelter we’d end up with a dog we loved, but that might be completely inappropriate for our family. I would happily have spent the rest of my life on allergy medication with the pup we fell in love with. However, that was not the right thing for us to do. It’s not the right thing for anyone to do. Find the pet that fits you and your family. If more people did this, I believe we’d have fewer dogs in shelters and in trouble if people used their heads just a little bit.

We found Opie on Petfinder.com , but he was being taken care of by Lhasa Happy Home Rescue. Guido is one of Lhasa’s dogs.

Here is a cut and paste of his story form Llasa and some adorable pictures.

THIS IS GUIDO….and a luckier boy you will not find. This handsome, 17 lb, white, 3.5 yr old, Lhasa Apso was dropped off at the vet to be euthanized because his owner just didn’t want him anymore. No reason given, she just didn’t want him. His guardian angel, Tori, saw him and said, $#@?

She took him home and said to this almost perfect boy, “we’ll find you a home” and she called Lhasa Happy Homes! We’ll never be able to understand his human’s mindset…but we are grateful to Tori for saving Guido’s life. Tori reports that this boy is a stud! He is a lhasa with long legs, but a purebred who did come from a pet store in Westminister originally (birthday March 3, 2007).

He understands “sit, let’s go, come, go potty and high 5!”

He is good with older kids, dogs, cats, men, women…you name it! He is a dog for all seasons! He loves to ride in the car and is a perfect gentleman; does need some leash training, but does love his walks! He doesn’t like crates, but is fine when he is getting groomed. He loves toys…and is a little hard on them — so please have plenty back-ups ready! He isn’t a barker, but will whine if he is left alone….still probably suffering from being abandoned….but likely will get over this. He would love to be in a home with another dog…or a cat….he LOVES cats…and will give you kisses to show you how much he appreciates your caring for him after he knows you better….oh yeah, and he will sleep at the foot of your bed and move the toys off to make his comfy place! He is a very loving dog who just wants to be back in a forever home where he can cuddle and love you …and let you know he truly wants to be your very best buddy!

If you love the breed, you’ll love Guido!

If you are interested in adopting this dog from Lhasa Happy Homes, please complete the Adoption Application on our home page and submit before calling. We will contact you once it has been reviewed

We hold our weekly adoption events most every Sunday at MY PET NATURALLY (check calendar link below for special events and directions). Here you will have an opportunity to interact with the dogs and see which might be a perfect fit with your household!

Our website is updated daily. Please do not apply for this dog unless your home fits the specified criteria. All our dogs are spayed/neutered, microchipped, groomed, vet checked, dewormed, deflea’d and come with a leash, collar and LHH ID tag!

Thanks for considering saving a life…it will be the best gift you ever give yourself or your family.

If you are interested in any other dogs from Lhasa please enjoy the following slide show! It has sound.

Opie here! Mama’s been working like mad grading papers so I couldn’t get near the computer. She’s passed out now. She’s graded her 60 papers now, and she’s exhausted. It’s my turn now to get on the computer and catch up to everything. So here are a few things I’d like to jump on!

My Healing Powers!

In my last blog posting I was nursing Michael back to health. Well, you can imagine the results of MY tender loving care. He’s better. He bopped off to school this morning. His little boy tummy is A-okay. He’s going to refrain from eating bad kibble from now on! So, thanks for all the good wishes blog buddies!

Big Boy is back!

What you guys didn’t know is that my big boy, Gregory (Michael’s older brother) is back. He went on a field trip with his class to New York and Boston. I missed him a lot. I see no reason for any of my pack mates to leave town — OR the state — ever again! Hu-brothers have to stay home WITH ME! YOU GOT THAT MAMA!!!! Gregory’s glad to see me. He didn’t even mind that I chewed up the full bag of his highlighters that he left under his school pack. Mama found bits of plastic under the dining room table. I was really good at hiding it, but I’ve got to learn how to dump it in the kitchen trash next time. Nobody looks in there once the lid is closed. BOL

What’s upcoming – ADOPT THE INTERNET DAY – March 15!

I’m already gathering my information about great doggies that need a home and great shelters that need some donations. So get geared up for that. All we pet bloggers should do blogs on that day about doggies that need help and really make a strong effort to bring this issue to as many people as possible. Pledge to Adopt a Pet! So get ready! Bloggers Start your Computers!!!!!…. whirrrrrr beep!

Human Rescue – Pet blogger style

“There but for the Grace of God, go I”

Without our Hu-mamas and Hu- daddy’s where would we be? A lot of humans were hurt and killed by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I’m sure a lot of pets were lost too. I feel so sad for everybody over there. We dogs and cats should encourage our Mamas and Daddies to donate something for their relief as well. International rescue crews with rescue dogs are already on their way or in Japan right now. We pets have a fine tradition of helping our humans. Let’s keep that up. I’ve got mama’s credit card right now, and she promised me she’d donate something to the Red Cross. ( Click here to donate to the Red Cross Tsunami Relief) We live in California and tsunamis and earthquakes are a part of our lives too. Oberrieder Dog Park, where I went while my beloved bone yard was closed is in a marked Tsunami Flood zone!

“There but for the Grace of God, go I” So make your Mama and Daddy pony up some cash for these folks.

Here are some other places that you can donate:

GLOBALGIVING: Established a fund to disburse donations to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Donate here.

SAVE THE CHILDREN: Mobilizing to provide immediate humanitarian relief in the shape of emergency health care and provision of non-food items and shelter. Donate here.

SALVATION ARMY: The Salvation Army has been in Japan since 1895 and is currently providing emergency assistance to those in need. Donate here.

AMERICARES: Emergency team is on full alert, mobilizing resources and dispatching an emergency response manager to the region. Donate here.

CONVOY OF HOPE: Disaster Response team established connection with in-country partners who have been impacted by the damage and are identifying the needs and areas where Convoy of Hope may be of the greatest assistance. Donate here.
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities. Donate here.

A few days ago I did a favor for one of my son’s friends and brought him back to school for his rehearsal after a basketball game. It was the best experience of the week after a rotten two hours of L.A. traffic and being confused about where the team was playing that day. Inadvertently, the team coach left my son’s friend at the other team’s school. We drove him back to our school for his school musical rehearsal. During the trip we talked about our dogs. His family has three — All older dogs and with some problems. He told me about Loki, who has one eye and adores his Mom. I know what that’s like. Loki was from the Lange Foundation. I’d heard of them. I remember looking through their dogs on petfinder.com when we were looking for our furrever friend. I also might have seen them on an old episode of the Oprah Winfrey show. In any case, Opie and I promised that we’d spend some time talking about pet rescue issues at least once a week. I’ve fallen a little behind with that promise, but hopefully, this Snorkie Report on the Lange Foundationand a Valentine’s Day Call to Action will make up for it.

The Lange Foundation is a wonderful organization. It is a no kill shelter for dogs and cats that need to be re-homed. Lange volunteers rescue dogs and cats that are just about to be euthanized. I’d like to shine the spotlight on them with my blog buddies. They are doing a wonderful and amazing job here in Los Angeles and it would be great for them to continue doing this wonderful job. I’d like to also encourage people to donate to The Lange Foundation.

Here are some of the wonderful animals that can be adopted. This is Lady. She is a 10 year old Mini Pin. This little gal is going blind so she knows that she has to pay attention to everything around her. In no time, she has figured out her surroundings and is practically the queen of this castle! Because of her disability, Lady is very attached to people and loves so much.

This is Tigger!

Tigger 10 year old poodle that was returned to Lange Foundation after 10 years; he needs to be on special food and maybe some medication, but he is a doll, and he deserves a second chance. Maybe through Lange he’ll get that chance.

Puppies and kittens are easy to adopt, but what about an older dog or a dog with injuries, or an FIV cat? Lange foundation is trying to help these hard to place animals. They need your help. They are also involved in saving horses as well. They’ve built an amazing facility in California’s Canyon country that houses some retired dogs, cats AND horses. It is a sanctuary for rescued dogs, cats and horses that are so neglected and abused that they are beyond rehabilitation. At the sanctuary at St Bonnie’s they have a permanent home with loving staff and volunteers.

“The Lange Foundation was founded in 1993 by Gillian Lange, recipient of the City of Los Angeles St. Francis of Assisi Award in recognition of her work on behalf of abandoned and neglected animals since 1974. To date, she has helped rescue and place over 20,000 cats and dogs that would have otherwise been destroyed in shelters.” http://www.langefoundation.com/index/Home.html

My poor words are not nearly as effective as the video you are about to see about the Lange foundation and the link to their website.

I urge you to click on the link and donate something directly to the shelter.

I also have a Valentine’s Day suggestion.

Valentine’s Day Call to Action!

If your honey loves chocolate or negligees or a fancy meal from you, consider supplementing your V-day celebration with a true gift of love.

Give a donation to Lange or the rescue of your choice in their name as part of their gift. My hubby and boys are going to get something special in their chocolate boxes this year — A receipt for a donation in their names to Lange Foundation.Without organizations like this many of us would be without our furrever friends. It hurts my heart to think that someone might have thrown Opie away. It makes me cry to think about all the others. We could stick our heads in the sand and not think about it, but consider that a small donation, even $10 could be the tipping point for a rescue’s budget. It might be one more doggy that gets saved or one more FIV kitty that get’s a home, or one more horse that is saved from the glue factory ( oh yeah, that still exists!)

So for Opie’s sake and all the little doggies, kitties and horses who need our help –

Let’s make a difference

On

February 14!

I know among my readers I am preaching to the converted. We’d probably all empty the tissue box watching Lange Foundations videos, but we all have tweet buttons and Facebook pages and friends who we chat on the phone or online with. Pass the word along and let’s see if we can make miracles happen for some wonderful rescues – Lange and/or those in your area.

Hi guys, I’ve been a little quiet on the blogging front. I would say I’ve been busy, but I haven’t. I’ve been snoozing on the couch, chasing squirrels and playing with my new toys. Yes, I got Christmas presents, and I even got dressed up for Valentine’s Day! It’s my mom who’s been super busy. I won’t go into all the boring pointless stuff she’s been involved with. Let’s get back to what’s important… ME and what I want to say!

Yes, this is me dressed with a red heart ribbon. I was good in it for about 2 minutes and then I had a good time playing tug of war with it. Dress up can be fun!

However, that’s not what I’m going to talk about today. Today I want to shine the spotlight on my favorite pet rescue organization. Lhasa Happy Homes!I came from there and I can’t help but feel really grateful to them for rescuing me. So I’d like to encourage all my blogger pals to support their local pet rescues in whatever way they can.

I owe this great organization MY LIFE!!!!

Lhasa Happy Homes rescues Lhasa Apsos mostly, but they aren’t really limited to that. After all, I’m a Snorkie. They rescue dogs that are about my size and smaller and maybe a bit larger. They have Lhasa Apsos, Shih Zus and other small breeds, like Maltese and Pomeranians. Anyway, they are a really great organization located in Los Angeles. They have people who act as foster moms and dads – Shout out to Barbara my old Foster Mama. They are always looking for people to act as foster moms and dads until their pups can find furrever homes. So if you are in the L.A. area, you should contact them to volunteer to be a foster parent.

I stayed with my Foster Mama, Barbara when I first came to LHH. I was happy there. She and her two kids were very nice to me. I’ll always be grateful to them. To understand how people get doggies from LHHs let me explain how Mama got me.

First, Mama and Daddy and the boys talked about getting a dog. The boys always wanted someone like me, but Mama and Daddy knew it would be a big responsibility and they wanted to be sure that the boys would hold up their end. Then because Mama is a big old softy – Daddy said that Mama had to look online first for a dog just the right size and temperament for our family. He was afraid that if we just showed up at the pound, Mama would fall in love with a dog that was too big, too small or too something for our family and then they’d be in trouble. I think that was the right thing to do. Clearly, I’m perfect! I’m the right size, temperament, and I also don’t make Mama sneeze. This is me with a buddy at the dog park last summer. I have my summer hairdo! It makes me look fast which of course I am! Super fast!

Mama looked on www.petfinder.com and put in her search conditions and 3 or 4 dogs popped up. For whatever reason, I was the first dog that she got to see in person. (You might say that Dad was right, that she was bound to fall in love with me. However, I prefer to believe that it’s because I was perfect for us!) The went to see me between times when Randee might have taken me to one of the adoption fair thingies she does at local pet supply stores – neither Mama or the boys could wait for the weekend. So Mama and Daddy and the boys went to Randee’s house to meet me.

Mama had to sign a really long contract and adoption application with Randee. Mama didn’t mind because she says it made her and Daddy really think about all that having a doggy entails. Sadly, lots of people don’t realize what a great responsibility it is to have a doggy. It’s the same as adopting a human child. You don’t’ give children back so you shouldn’t give doggies back either, right? Unfortunately, people abandon doggies all the time. I know that’s true. My old owners gave me up. I forgive them because my Mama and Daddy are way better. Mama says I shouldn’t judge, but well. Come on! Have you see me as a puppy? I was completely adorable. Obviously, there was something wrong with them. I’m perfect!

The contract has a clause in it as well that says essentially if the adopters don’t take very good care of me that LHHs can “redeem” me. Of course, that would never happen to me. My family takes excellent care of me (I go to the vet all the time for shots and checkups and once when Mama thought I was licking my nose too much!) As part of the contract I still wear an LHH tag around my collar. I wear my Mama’s tag too and I’m micro chipped with her information. Mama likes to say that I’m “lo-jacked” whatever that means. Bottom line – I’ve got lots of folks looking out for me.

I go to the groomer once a month, I get brushed, I get greenies so that my teeth stay sparkling and sharp and I get walks and lots of time to play and sleep. Mama even cooks me brown rice to make my kibble taste better. LHH interviewed my mama and even before I could see them they sent out a volunteer to do home inspection to make sure that Mama’s house and yard were safe for me. Needless to say, my family passed muster!

it’s a good idea to use rescues like Lhasa because they go to the shelters all the time to rescue dogs on death row and they get us our shots, take us to the vet and even make certain how socialized we are.

They have weekly events to so that you can come and see the doggies too! Here’s an event that’s going on this week. You should visit the website to see where the next one will be if you miss this one.

You can see adoptable doggies their best light. I have to say, I like LHH most because they go the extra mile to make certain that dogs are placed in homes where they will be loved forever and taken care of responsibly. They do their best to be sure that the rescued doggies don’t have to be rescued again!

You can get any sort of doggy you want from a rescue. There are all kinds of special breed rescues all over the country. I know some of my blog buddies came from rescues like that.

Mama says to be careful though. Some of them are breeders masquerading as rescues. She says that real rescues are registered as nonprofit organizations, like Lhasa.

Rescues also facilitate vet bills for Special Needs dogs. A city or county shelter might just murder, kill, euthanize, put to sleep a dog that has lots of medical problems, but a rescue will look at the doggy more carefully. If you go to the Lhasa Happy Homes site you’ll see that they take care of lots of dogs that have medical problems.

Some doggies had totally curable problems but for whatever reason the shelter wasn’t going to help as much as the rescue could and would. The best thing about Lhasa and probably other rescue organizations is that you can help those doggies and you don’t even have to live in Los Angeles to do so. You can donate over the internet. Just go to the website and read all about the poor sick doggies that need help with their vet bills. These doggies have some special needs and vet bills.

So please DONATE some $$$$!

If you are in the LA area and you’d like a little cute dog like me, then you should call Randee. Here is a screen shot of some of the pups that are available right now! You can also do a search on www.Petfinder.com and get more information on the doggies. This is just a few of the doggies. They have lots of sweet doggies. (It makes me kind of sad to know these doggies don’t have forever families like I do. L)

So spread the word to your friends in the Los Angeles Area that Lhasa Happy Homes has fabulous dogs that need forever homes.

You can donate money for the poor sick doggies at the website even if you don’t live in L.A., California or even the United States!

By the way, Mama says that most of you guys reading my blog are probably already pretty committed to helping the doggies.

She suggested that I ask you to tweet or “share” this article all over the place so more people can see it. She says you already know what’s important so this is like “preaching to the converted” (whatever that means). So, please hit the share button or just tell somebody to use a rescue instead of a breeder.

Attention Southern Californians in the L.A. or South Bay area!

I recieved a great email from my friend Deborah Weinrach of the Culver City Friends of Animals Society! I want to share it with all of you. Maybe you have room in your home for an extra special dog that can give you extra special love.

** EBONY **

“Special Needs” Sweety

Harbor Shelter – A1144871

Hasn’t A Clue She’s Different From Other Dogs!

EBONY – 3 yo female Spaniel Mix – URGENT!!!!

ID# A1144871

Intake Date: August 22, 2010

EBONY is a 3 yr old female Spaniel Mix who came to Harbor Shelter as a stray on August 22. Sweet Ebony is SPECIAL NEEDS – she has a congenital deformity resulting in her hindlimbs being contracted into a flexed position. Ebony doesn’t seem to be aware that there is ANYTHING wrong with her! She gets around just great & is very functional – sometimes hopping on one hindlimb, and other times using both hindlimbs. Ebony is exceptionally sweet, loving, affectionate, and a very happy girl….. she enjoys both human time and playtime w/ her kennel mates. She loves “lap time”, too. This very special little girl does not have a clue she is a bit “different” from other dogs….. making her all the more special!!!

A special note from Opie:

I never forget that I was a rescued dog. Please note the intake date. I don’t know what Ebony’s execution date is or if she has one yet. Mine was about 30 days from the date of my intake. Lhasa Happy Home Rescue grabbed me 3 weeks before my date. I was adopted by my mom, and I am so happy and so loved.

You can make Ebony happy too. We doggies have a lot of love to give. We don’t talk back ( much). We don’t judge at all. We listen to your troubles. We lick you when you need it and we cuddle you. We make you laugh and smile. We bring joy to your lives. We don’t ask for much. Food, a good place to sleep, a chewy toy and walkies so we don’t make a mess. Sombody please help Ebony. She looks nice!